raidenofffandomcom-20200213-history
Long Winter
The Long Winter is a term that refers to the winter of 395 DR, which had a combination of cold temperatures and storms that ravaged the northern part of Alarea; it also refers, more broadly, to the ensuing years of famine that plagued the early portion of the fifth century. 395-96 DR At first, the winter of 395 seemed like any other winter; temperatures dropped and snow fell, but nothing was especially unexpected. However, on about 24 Precifros 395, a bitter windstorm combined with a blizzard and hit the Alarean shores. This storm, and later ones of its kind, were called "Holy Howls" due to the howling of the wind and the power of the storm. Due to the flatness and openness of its territory, Cadra saw most of its land area buffeted by the Holy Howl, whereas Daravia was more unevenly hit. The Icy Islands, accustomed to brutal winters, hunkered in isolation as was mostly normal at the time; due to the preparations typical among the Ka'tuokh, they likely saw the Holy Howl as just a harsh, but not unprecedented, winter. Some farmers report having their storehouses damaged or blocked off by the inclement weather, leading to some starvation even in the first months of the hellish time to come. Immediate aftermath Snow and cold were still heavy on the ground in Rasnosia 395, and the persistence of the winter delayed the planting season of 396. Many farmers in Daravia and Cadra were unable to begin harvesting their spring crops until late Hortiflos or even Rastheros; it was during this brutal spring that much of the starvation happened. President Castimir Volgrov of Cadra was forced to formally shelve his nation's expansionist ambitions during 396, whereas Queen Ethel of Daravia saw a number of small peasant uprisings by commoners convinced that the winter was punishment for allowing a woman to rule. Meanwhile, Tu'lit tried for a while, unsuccessfully, to persuade the rest of the Icy Islands to follow its example and declare independence from Daravia in its time of weakness. In 397, increasingly coordinated peasant revolts forced Ethel to abdicate; she ended up leaving Daravia entirely and moving to Icecliff, which was at this time in Cadra. Another difficult winter marked with Holy Howls had left more starvations in its wake in the north of Alarea. However, the 397 ascension of Gerald III of Daravia began somewhat of a turnaround. Recovery plans Declaring that unity was the only way to recover from the bitter winters, Gerald III began to build economic and diplomatic relationships with his neighbors. This worked best with Cadra, who was also suffering under the same situation, and the two were able to use their relatively unkept areas to sustain themselves and each other. (Gerald's other overtures were less successful; Dorio was too embattled, and Sunica too apathetic). The Daravian and Cadral governments also poured money into building efficient food transportation systems; this included building better roads and improving their maintenance, as well as optimizing shipments to bring the most food with the least weight. The Icy Islands also became, for one of the only times in its history, a prosperous area of Daravia that was looked to for guidance; specifically, Daravia and Cadra sought to more widely adapt Ka'tuokh agricultural techniques, which were designed to make the most out of weak, stony soil. Between these various measures, Daravia and Cadra were able to work together to come back from the brink; however, starvation was still a fairly common occurrence, especially in the winter and spring, until the late 410s. In 418, Cadral president Dragan Guzuran dialed back the Cadro-Daravian partnership, which led Cadra to fall behind somewhat in the ensuing years, while Daravia increased in power; however, relations were not severely damaged, and around a decade later Mutimir Zregab successfully called for the return of the alliance. Long-term effects Despite its heavy death toll, the Long Winter had an eventual benefit for northern Alarean agriculture, which was forced to adapt to harsher winters than usual; it also strengthened the position of the historically backward Icy Islands, raising the standard of living for the Ka'tuokh. It also brought an enforced peace to the regions of Gebert and Enira, which were contested in the wake of their conquest by Cadra. The general malnutrition that resulted from the Long Winter caused a weakened generation to be hit especially hard by a soilfever epidemic in the late 430s; however, the impact of the epidemic was not great overall, and Daravia was able to recover from the damage. Category:Events